1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a class exercise equipment useful for support and a comfortable weight bearing grip in the practice of yoga positions. The invention includes a hand grip connected to one or more block section providing a comfortable hand and wrist orientation for yoga positions requiring hand contact with the floor. The yoga grip blocks can be stacked and provide a support surface for the heels, seat and legs in a variety of yoga positions.
2. Description of Related Art
The practice of yoga generally takes place with a practitioner on a padded floor without any equipment. Many yoga positions require a significant portion of body weight to be supported by the hands of the practitioner on the floor. In such a case, the wrists of the supporting hands are often bent at an extreme angle, the fingers outstretched and flexor tendons under tension. This extreme bending and tension can be uncomfortable or may actually cause trauma to the associated joints, tendons and ligaments. Discomfort and trauma may be accentuated where the practitioner is recuperating from preexisting trauma to the hands or wrist.
Yoga blocks and bricks, currently available on the market, are blocks of hardwood or foam generally about 3″×5″×9″. These blocks provide some benefit in support for some positions and allow more comfortable wrist/hand/finger orientations for some positions. For example, current yoga blocks allow the practitioner to reduce the reach to the floor in some positions and to curl the fingers in other positions. Yet, current yoga blocks do not allow a more comfortable wrist position during certain positions where the arms and hands support a large part of the body weight or during the dynamic movements in transitions between some positions.
In the related art of muscle building exercise, similar problems of trauma and discomfort exist. Discomfort and stress to the hands and wrists is common in the well known “push-up” exercise. Many devices exist in the prior art in which a hand grip is attached to a base on the floor allowing the practice of push-ups without stressful wrist angles. Many of such devices are also designed to raise the body to a higher angle and thus reduce the effective weight on the hands during the exercise. However, such devices are not optimal for the practice of yoga exercises.
A typical example of push-up exercise devices is a Portable Exercise Device, hereafter “PED”, U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,907. The PED comprises tubular metal pipe bent to a conformation having a handgrip section projecting up from a u-shaped base. Such a design allows push-ups while maintaining a comfortable straight wrist position and a naturally curled finger grip position. In addition, the PED raises the user approximately six inches, changing the inclination of the practitioner's body and lowering the portion of body weight on the hands. These tall PEDs allow muscle builders to do deep push-ups not possible when pushing off the floor.
The PED, and devices like them, are not suitable for the practice of yoga for a variety of reasons. Practitioners can not sit on or stack most PEDs. Most PEDs have grip positions high off the floor so a person doing push-ups can do deep push-ups or so the person be inclined to have less weight supported by the arms. Being more elevated, PEDs can be unstable to lateral forces. PEDs are generally fabricated from wood dowel or tubular steel without grip foam; and do not have a flat upper surface.